Provincial chief of KPK’s Milli Awami Party says that through the construction of Kalabagh dam Punjab wants to have control over water share of Pakhtun nation. How he arrives at this astounding conclusion defies all logic? The Indus river and most of its tributaries flow through KPK before entering Punjab and so how can the lower riparian usurp the water of the upper riparian? He says only Tarbela dam is acceptable to KPK. Obviously he does not know that his province is getting less than 5 percent from Tarbela dam while Sindh is getting 70 percent. KPK can get its full share of 14 percent only through the right bank canal at Kalabagh dam.
On the other hand Sindh thinks that Kalabagh dam will reduce the flow to Indus and Punjab will take too much water from it. Dams are built the world over to increase the availability of water, not reduce it. IRSA will operate Kalabagh dam just as it is operating Mangla and Tarbela dams and Punjab will get only its allotted share and no more. It is one thing for KPK and Sindh to oppose Kalabagh dam for cogent reasons but to do so on flimsy ground is criminal as they are harming their own provinces as much as the others.
ENGR KHURSHID ANWER,
Lahore, January 19.